


Enter the Wolf King

by Lynne_Dayle



Category: Darkest Powers - Kelley Armstrong
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-05-27 05:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6271837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynne_Dayle/pseuds/Lynne_Dayle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Separated from the adults, and on the run from yet another threat. The gang finds themselves assisted by a mysterious werewolf with the curious ability to compel Derek into following his directions. Who is he and what does he want with the gang?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

        Derek felt the unease prickle at the back of his neck as he and Chloe stood at the counter of the little coffee shop, he could have sworn he'd caught the scent of something familiar. The place was too crowded, all the scents and sounds blurred together. Derek's gaze drew towards the young man on the stool across the room, strumming on a guitar and singing to entertain the people gathered around him. From him Derek's gaze traveled towards the door, or more specifically to the guys who had followed the two of them into the building.

        “Derek,” Chloe hissed taking his hand, she'd noticed them as well. They tried to blend in with the crowd, one of the guys even bobbing his head along with the musician's tune.

        “I know,” Derek said when her grip tightened on his hand. Taking a deep breath to try and calm himself, Derek looked around the room, as he did he found his attention brought back to the musician, and he was startled when the guy looked back at him. The young man held Derek's gaze, like he was trying to communicate with him as his voice carried over the crowd.

        “Derek,” Chloe called to him again, dragging his attention back to her. “There's a back door, maybe we can sneak out?” Derek looked where she gestured, down a small side hall where the kitchen and the washrooms were located. He looked back at their pursuers, they'd spotted them and were maneuvering their way through the crowd. Derek looked at the musician again, they locked eyes a second time, the guy grinned and winked. Then just as the pursuers came close to him, he hopped off the stool, stumbling into the men and knocking them over, even going as far as to 'accidentally' whack one of them in the head with his guitar.

        “Go, go!” Derek said as he urged Chloe towards the back. He could hear the crowd kind of laughing, as the musician mumbled apologies while continuing to trip up the men at his feet.

* * *

 

 

        Derek and Chloe managed to slip into the crowd on main street, but only just barely as the men chasing them had shouted out for them. Holding tight to each other, the two maneuvered through the crowd, Derek's heart pounding, he could feel the panic beginning to bubble to the surface. The men couldn't be seen between all the other people around them, the muscle in his arm gave an involuntary spasm, and a fresh spike of panic surged through him as Derek and Chloe looked at each other. There was no way they could get out of this crowd and somewhere safe in time for the change. Suddenly, Derek felt an arm wrap around his shoulder, weight forcing him to bend slightly and the sudden shock freezing him in his tracks. Derek turned his head just enough to see that the one belonging to the arm was the musician from the coffee shop.

        “Breathe,” the man told him. Derek, who hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath found himself obeying the command, and with a whole new level of shock he stared wide-eyed at this stranger as the overwhelming and unmistakable scent of werewolf washed over his senses, Derek felt his heart plummet into his stomach.

        “Don't worry about that right now,” The musician said calmly in response to Derek's reaction. The guy tugged on him, and weaved the three of them effortlessly through the crowd, and before long they were far from the crowd and standing in a secluded little alley behind an apartment complex, pursuers effectively left behind.

 


	2. Chapter 2

        Derek felt his legs give out beneath him, as he landed on all fours the other werewolf crouched down beside him, and Chloe knelt on his other side. She was talking to him, her face paler than it usually was, and drawn in worry. Derek could hear her heart beating frantically, but not what she was saying through the haze of pain and panic.

        “Focus,” Derek heard the other werewolf say, Derek grunted in pain when a bone snapped.

        "Just focus on breathing, just like this," the guy said, demonstrating the technique he was talking about, and he continued to speak to Derek calmly, encouraged him to focus inward, to focus on the wolf and ease it back. Derek couldn't explain how it worked, but as he listened to the guy's directions he slowly but surely felt the change ease, his bones shift back in the direction of human once more.

* * *

  


        It was impossible to tell just how much time had passed, Derek laid panting on the ground, exhausted but still very much human. Chloe eyed the other werewolf warily, while he observed the two of them with a mildly concerned expression on his face.

        “Who are you?” she asked him, doing her best to sound as commanding as possible. The guy looked at her with a slightly amused expression, like her attempt at being imposing was somewhat laughable.

        “I guess it would be highly suspicious of me to say introductions could wait right?” he asked in return. Derek pushed himself up so he was sitting.

        “Derek you need to--” Chloe started to say but Derek cut her off.

        “I'm fine, and you were already suspicious to begin with, but you're right we don't have time to sit here chit chatting.” He held gazes with the guy for a good minute.

        “I kind of feel like this is the part where I tell you 'Come with me if you want to live.' or something,” the guy said, he even did a horrible Schwarzenegger impersonation to go with the lame Terminator quote. The guy chuckled at his own lame reference before looking serious again.

        “Seriously though, I know a place you can lay low for a bit,” he said getting to his feet, Derek and Chloe got up too and followed him through a hole in the fence.

        “It's Adam by the way,” the guy said to Chloe with a half grin on his face. “You know, since you asked.”

* * *

  


        The place Adam led them to was a motel, one that was several blocks away from where Derek and Chloe left Simon and Tori. The three of them sat in the small room, Derek wondered just how much trouble they found themselves in, always believing that even people trying to help could be dangerous yet he hadn't even stopped to think that following this Adam guy was a bad idea. That was careless of him, and Derek berated himself for it.

        “There's food in the fridge,” Adam said he watched them passively, he seemed completely at ease with the situation.

        “Why did you help us?” Chloe asked.

        “Seemed like a good idea at the time?” Adam responded with a shrug, then caught Derek's glare and looked a little sheepish. “Well, it wouldn't have been a good thing for you to wolf out in public . . . it wouldn't have been a good thing for either of us.”

        “You mean if the Syracuse Pack found out,” Derek said. Adam grimaced the moment the word Syracuse was mentioned.

        “Yeah . . . I'd really rather not deal with them,” he said rubbing his hands over his face. “It might be horribly self-centered for me to say, but it would be really inconvenient to have them breathing down my neck.”

        “You sound like you know them,” Derek said.

        “What werewolf doesn't?” Adam retorted, Derek's glare darkened.

        “You sound like you know them personally,” he amended himself. Adam looked thoughtful, sitting at the small table with his chin resting on his hand.

        “I've had a few encounters,” he muttered. “I'm not on their bad side or anything, but if it were something like exposure then it doesn't matter who caused it, any werewolf that happened to be in the vicinity would get called on it.” They all lapsed into silence at that point, then Adam got to his feet making Chloe jump, and putting Derek on guard with the sudden movement. Adam just looked at them.

        “I've gotta go back for my guitar,” he said going to the door. “You could stay and wait if you wanted, but I'm sure you want to get gone as soon as you can . . . it's probably safe enough.” And he slipped out the door.

 


	3. Chapter 3

        “Do you think it could be a trap?” Chloe asked as she watched Adam disappear through the part in the curtains. “He could have been hired like Liam and Ramon were.”

        “I don't think so,” Derek answered. "Liam and Ramon were the idea of Andrew and his group, and we already know most others don't hire werewolves." Chloe looked back at him, and she could tell he was thinking hard about what just happened. The thought of those two werewolves still sent shivers down her spine, but even though she'd said it she had to agree with Derek. Adam hadn't seemed any more interested in their situation aside from avoiding the attention of the Syracuse Pack. After some minutes had passed they left the room, taking a couple of the convenience store sandwiches that were in the fridge for themselves and the others.

* * *

 

        “And you're sure this guy isn't a problem?” Simon asked for the second time since Derek and Chloe recounted the story.

        “He really only seemed interested in avoiding a run in with the Syracuse Pack,” Chloe replied looking at Derek who nodded.

        “Yeah, he was just there when it happened,” Derek said still thinking about how strange that Adam was, and how easily he had been able to talk Derek into complying to his directions. He knew that he should be disturbed by it, that all sorts of warning bells should have been going off in his head, yet his instincts told him otherwise, that it was perfectly reasonable to trust Adam.

        “We should be getting as far from here as possible shouldn't we?” Tori demanded. “Like ASAP?”

* * *

 

        They left early the next morning, and made it to a gas station several miles out of town. The girls waited in the trees nearby while Derek and Simon went to contact the adults on the payphone.

        “Okay, so the guy stopped you from changing?” Simon asked.

        “He didn't just keep me from changing, he got me to revert back to human,” Derek said. “I don't really know how he did that, I didn't even know that was possible.” He dialed the number for their dad's burner phone. The call went straight to voice mail, where Kit had recorded a message telling them not to leave word, and to keep moving, they were in a bit of trouble but would meet at the town they were heading to. Derek relayed the message to the others, and with snacks from the station in hand they all set out for the long journey.

 


	4. Chapter 4

        The team from the coffee shop had once again caught up to them, after about a day and a half of hiking it through the trees. They were ambushed, and forced to scatter. Derek and Chloe already further off into the woods for a wolf run, Tori running in one direction, and Simon in another. In a word, it was chaos.

        Simon had no idea where he was going, he just ran as fast as he could without killing himself on the undergrowth. He could hear one of them, could hear the static of the guy's radio, and knew there was no way he was going to be able to out run the guy. Then Simon made the mistake of looking back, caught his foot on something, and fell heavy to the forest floor.

        “I've got one,” he heard the guy say into his radio. Simon scrambled to turn around, panic flooding his veins, he tried a knock back spell. The guy kept coming for him, tranquilizer gun in hand. Simon tried again, and the guy stumbled, but it still wasn't enough to knock him over. Simon struggled to his knees, and started to crawl away. He heard the gun cock, shut his eyes tight, a few tears of frustration. Then Simon heard an animal snarling, the man crying out in shock, and opened his eyes again just in time to see a large, hairy shape leap up and slam into his pursuer, the momentum sending them both crashing to the ground with an audible thud. Before Simon had a chance to process what happened exactly, his brother was at his side nudging him with his nose. Directing him towards the bushes ahead of them.

        “Alright, alright,” Simon muttered. “Derek, you're not exactly making it easier for me here.” Derek just nudged him harder. Battered by the low brush, and trying his best to keep up the impossible pace at which he was being forced to crawl, they finally pushed their way through onto a little deer trail, and Simon was able to get to his feet. Still being herded silently along, the panic started to die down just a little, and realization started to set into Simon's mind. Where was Chloe? Simon looked down at the wolf at his heels, got his first real good look at him, and felt ice in his veins when the eyes that looked back at him from the dark furry face were not the familiar green eyes of his brother, but instead were a pair of unfamiliar blue.

* * *

  


         Simon stumbled into a clearing, fell to his knees, and scrambled away from the wolf until he was against a tree on the other side of the clearing.

        “Oh god! Please tell me this isn't happening,” He muttered to himself as he used the tree to leverage himself back onto his feet, and pressed his back to it. He glanced around the clearing, looking for a way to escape, not that he would even stand a chance trying to escape if the wolf decided to attack him. Simon looked back at the wolf to find it just sitting on its side of the clearing, watching him quietly, and Simon suddenly got the impression that if its face was capable of a more human expression, it would have had an eyebrow raised.

         “You don't plan to eat me or anything, do you?” Simon asked it, the wolf gave a rather derisive sounding snort. “Yeah, that was a pretty dumb question. Just like I could ask if you were a werewolf, but that's also a dumb question since there aren't actual wolves in this area.” The wolf got to its feet, Simon flinched a little at the suddenness of the action, and watched as the wolf just walked into the bush.

       “Uh . . . thanks for the save?” Simon called after him with a bit of confusion, assuming the guy had just decided to take off, but apparently the werewolf hadn't planned on going very far, because soon enough he heard the disturbing and tell tale sounds of change, a grunt of pain, a snap, crackle, and pop of bones re-arranging themselves. Finally just the sound of exhausted, heavy panting could be heard.

        “Just . . . give me a sec,” the guys voice was equal parts raspy, breathy, and deep. Simon felt himself shiver at the unfamiliarity of it, then heard the guy groaning, like he was getting to his feet, the bush rustled, and the next thing Simon knew the guy was walking out completely buck naked.

        “Whoa!” Simon shouted throwing up his hands in a vain attempt to shield his eyes, though unfortunately he'd already gotten a good eyeful. “Hell, I do NOT need to see that!”

        “What?” the guy sounded entirely confused. Simon noted that his voice wasn't quite as deep as it first sounded, but was adamantly trying to look anywhere else besides the naked guy standing in front of him.

        “Dude, it was bad enough that I had to stand here listening to that horror show you werewolves go through when you change,” Simon explained taking a quick glance at him through his fingers. “But do I really need to see your junk on full display too?” Simon saw the guy glance down at himself, not even the hint of embarrassment of his face.

        “Oh,” he said sounding just as unconcerned about it as he looked, like he really had no sense of modesty. “Sorry, I guess I should probably try and remember where I left my stuff . . . I think it was that way--” he was just waving vaguely in one direction, when he suddenly became alert and dropped into a defensive stance just in time for a large shape to come slamming into him and wrestle him to the ground. It was Derek, his actual brother Derek this time.

 


	5. Chapter 5

        “Simon,” Chloe called as she pulled up beside him. “Are you okay?”

        “Yeah I am, but I wouldn't look--” Simon started to say, but of course Chloe looked over at the two struggling on the ground, started blushing furiously when she realized one of them was completely naked, and quickly covered her eyes, still watching through her fingers. The struggle didn't last much longer anyway, Adam won out, pinning Derek to the ground.

        “Calm down,” Adam hissed, his teeth were clenched from the effort of holding Derek down. Derek stopped struggling, and with a sudden flurry of movement the two werewolves broke apart. Adam standing up a little more gracefully than Derek who clumsily scrambled to his.

        “Why are you following us?” Derek demanded as Adam covered himself with his hands when he noticed Chloe's discomfort, then looked at Derek with a rather sheepish grin, ignoring his attempt at being more intimidating than usual.

        “I suppose if I said I wasn't following you, it would sound like a complete and utter lie at this point?” he responded with his own question.

        “Wait . . . is this the guy from the coffee shop?” Simon asked.

        “Adam,” said guy corrected looking from Derek to the ground when he got another dark look.

        “Well?” Derek prompted him again. Adam half shrugged.

        “Eh . . . I wasn't planning on it originally,” he said. “I wasn't lying before you know, when I said it was just to keep the Syracuse guys from showing up, and then I didn't think about it too much after that.”

        “You're saying you just happened to be traveling the same way we were?” Derek asked the disbelief more than colouring his voice along with his irritation.

        “No, I followed you on purpose,” Adam answered. “I'm just saying I hadn't planned on it . . . but, could we maybe continue this conversation after I get my stuff? It's actually kind of cold out here.”

 

* * *

 

    Simon and Chloe waited in the little clearing while Derek followed Adam to find his things, they stared each other down once Adam was dressed.

        “Now why did you really follow me?” Derek asked him. Adam looked at his guitar case propped against a tree, then looked back at him.

        “I wasn't lying before,” Adam answered.

        “You weren't telling the whole story either,” Derek pointed out. “Now talk!”

        “How old are you?” Adam asked. Derek scowled at being caught off guard by the sudden question.

        “That's not—” he started.

        “Yeah, none of my business,” Adam interrupted. “Just slightly older than I was when I first changed, by the look of you though.”

         “What's your point?” Derek demanded.

        “You need help,” Adam said. “Simply put, I can tell just by looking at you that you have no idea what you're doing.” Derek stared at him for a long time, he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

        “I've been managing just fine on my own,” Derek said.

        “So far,” Adam added. “But how long until you're facing another situation like the one in the coffee shop?” Derek didn't answer. That was already something he was worried about, how would he control himself in stressful situations like that? He didn't know. It was one thing to just wait until his body was ready to change, if he could control it even just a little more.

        “I don't get what your situation is,” Adam said after letting the silence extend between them. “Who you're running from, or why you're running from them, those things are none of my business.”

        “Neither is my knowledge of the change,” Derek said in return.

        “Maybe it isn't,” Adam continued. “As weird and suspicious as it might sound, I just want to help you.”

        “Why?” Derek asked.

       “Because I know,” Adam explained. “I know what it's like to change young, it's a struggle.”

        “And you want to teach me control before it's too late, right?” Derek asked with sarcasm.

       “You could say no,” Adam replied. Derek scoffed at this, and Adam gave him a half grin.

        “Yeah,” he said. “There's a decent chance I'm going to follow you until you accept my help, or kill me, although if it's all the same to you I'd rather avoid the killing part.”

       “Just until we reach our destination,” Derek heard himself say as he shifted uncomfortably. He knew this could potentially be a very dangerous risk. But even if it came to a fight, Derek knew he wouldn't willingly try to kill Adam, even if he thought he could be able to do it. What happened with Liam, that had been a fluke, an accident in the heat of desperation, one that continued to haunt him even though it was justified. Derek thought about that night in the alley, about how easily Adam had been able to help him then. Learning control like that would be a tremendous advantage.

        “That's the deal,” Adam agreed holding out his hand. Derek took his hand, and they shook on it.


	6. Chapter 6

        Once they managed to find Tori, they walked until the sun went down, and settled in for the night. Everybody was tired, hungry, and a little cold since the nights were still cool, but they didn't dare light a fire which could draw attention to themselves.

       “Oh I have somethings here,” Adam said. He rummaged through his guitar case and pulled out several packages of beef jerky, a large bag of baby carrots, a box of cookies, and a half finished package of red licorice.

        “I never go anywhere without snacks,” he said with a shrug when everyone just stared at him. Adam then passed the food around, and once everyone was fed they all settled in for the night. Everyone fell asleep, except Derek who kept watch.

* * *

 

        “Control is harder when you're sleep deprived,” Derek looked over sharply as Adam sat beside him, it was very late in the night, the others still fast asleep while he kept watch, keeping to his idea that he was the only one capable of the task.

        “I'm fine,” Derek replied. Adam let the subject drop after that, and for a while they sat together in silence.

        “You . . . said you were younger than me,” Derek said hesitantly. “When you changed for the first time, that really true?”

        “Well, I was fifteen so not too much younger,” Adam answered.

       “You weren't bitten?” Derek asked.

        “No, I wasn't bitten,” Adam replied with an amused half smile. “Early changes aren't common, but they happen sometimes . . .” Derek looked over at him when Adam trailed off, the smile was gone from his face and he looked like he was suddenly far away.

       “You're not the only one anyway,” he said finally. “By the way . . . do you mind me asking where we're going?” Derek studied him and Adam shrugged.

        “I'm just asking so I know how far we've got to go, do you even know how far you're going?” he explained.

       “Town called Millburn,” Derek answered.

        “That's quite a ways to walk,” Adam commented. “About a week . . . give or take a couple hours.”

        “That a problem?” Derek asked.

        “I suppose that depends on how much I can teach you in such a short time,” Adam said scratching the stubble on his chin. “Should be just enough time before the change hits again.” He settled himself down against the tree directly across from Derek.

        “You really should try to get some sleep,” Adam said. “You've got a long week ahead of you, and trust me you're going to need to be as well rested as possible.”

* * *

 

        The next day Adam stuck close to Derek, so far he hadn't bothered to try to actually teach anything, he answered questions when asked, but other than that seemed just content to be going along with them.

        “Shouldn't you be trying to teach me something?” Derek finally asked him when they'd stopped for a snack break.

        “One of the best ways to learn is to observe,” Adam replied. “Right?”

       “What's he supposed to be observing?” Tori asked when no one else said anything. Adam handed out rations from his guitar case looking thoughtful.

        “Everything?” he answered then grinned a little sheepishly at the looks he got from everyone. “Okay, so I obviously haven't decided on where to start just yet . . . I've never been in the position to teach before.”

       “I promise I'll think of something by the time we stop next,” Adam said. “Our first lesson will be then . . . that work for you?”

        “Fine,” Derek agreed.

        “But you know,” Adam continued looking thoughtful again. “My point about observing was a good one, you could probably pick up quite a bit just observing what's around you.”

         Derek didn't reply to that, he wasn't even entirely sure he understood what Adam meant by that. If he meant observing how Adam himself behaved, or if he meant his surroundings in general being in a forest. Derek reasoned that Adam had probably meant both, he had answered 'Everything,' when Tori had asked him.

        “Try not to think to hard on it,” Adam said. “I didn't mean 'everything' literally.”


	7. Chapter 7

        True to his word, the next time they stopped, Adam led Derek to a nearby clearing and tried his best to explain how the best way to start was basically to try meditate.

        "I don't know how else I can explain it," Adam said as Derek huffed in irritation. "You need to feel the wolf, and to do that you look inward."  
       

        "I don't understand the point you're making," Derek grumbled. "Feel the wolf, you make it sound like it's a separate thing."  
       

         "You are such an Alpha," Adam said with a sigh. "You're putting way too much logic into it."

        "I'm not--" Derek started. 

        "Alpha?" Adam interrupted. "Yes you are. . . You've got all the classic tells."  
       

        "Tells?" Derek asked.  
   

        "The way you take charge of the others, your hyper vigilance at night, and even your intelligence. . . Of course the last one doesn't really count as an actual tell, but it could be one reason you're having trouble with this concept."

        Derek glowered at him, Adam just shrugged, and they lapsed into silence as Adam's revelation started to sink in. Alpha, Derek had never thought he would hear that word attributed to himself.  
        "I think we should break here for the night," Adam said after some time had passed. "Give you some time to think about things."

* * *

  
        When night fell, it was cold enough they decided to risk a small fire hopping they were far enough into the forest that they wouldn't get caught, once everyone was fed and settled, Adam quietly strumming his guitar, Derek and Chloe slipped away to walk a little ways from the others.

        "Do you want to talk about it?" Chloe asked.   
       

        "Nah," Derek answered with a shrug, hands in his pockets, and Chloe let it go as they continued to walk. "I just thought it'd be easier to learn than this."

       

        "You didn't expect to learn it all in a day did you?" she asked with a delicate eyebrow raised.   
       

        "No," he said. "I just thought it'd be easier."  
       

        "You're probably just thinking too hard," Chloe said with a grin. "As usual."

        Derek reached out to pull her closer to him.  
       

        "That's no way to talk to an Alpha," he grumbled with the hint of mischief in his voice and eyes.   
       

        "Alpha?" Chloe asked. "Really?"  
       

        "Adam said I had all the tells," Derek answered as he leaned in to kiss her.  
       

        "Oh," she said breathlessly just before their lips met. To be honest, Chloe hadn't thought much about wolf behavior since Derek had talked about it, but the idea that                

        Derek would be an Alpha made sense, not that it changed anything between them.

        "Do you want to try again?" She asked when they parted for air. 

        "Try?" Derek asked, his voice husky. His brain had stopped thinking when they were kissing.

        "Adam's lesson," Chloe said pushing Derek back just enough for her to look up at him. "That's why were in the clearing right?"  
   

        Derek looked around the clearing then back down at Chloe.  
   

        "I thought it might be easier if you were here with me," he answered scratching his neck. Chloe took his hand in both of hers.  
   

        "Okay," she said.


	8. Chapter Eight

        "I thought it might be easier if you were here with me," he answered scratching his neck. Chloe took his hand in both of hers.

        "Okay," she said.

* * *

 

        Adam continued to strum his guitar quietly by the fire while Simon observed him as inconspicuously as he could. Simon thought he looked completely at ease sitting there by the fire, like this was exactly where he was meant to be or something.

        "Do you need anymore to eat tonight?" Adam asked suddenly, Simon startled, then felt himself flush just a little at having been caught staring while his thoughts wandered.

        "W-what?" he stammered out before he processed the question. "No, I should be good until morning now." He started fidgeted as Adam studied him intently, it was bad enough when Derek badgered him about eating, it was a little more embarrassing for a complete stranger to be paying so much attention to his health, but with a nod, Adam seemed content to leave it at that, and focused once more on his guitar, it wasn't anything recognizable, just a gentle melody that made a person think of warmer climates.

        "A werewolf who plays guitar," Simon mused, his eyes drawn to the way Adam's fingers brushed against the strings. "Derek can't even keep rhythm."

        "I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who can play an instrument," Adam said with a chuckle. "But I admit that I am one of a kind."

        "I think so," Simon agreed. "Thanks again for the save by the way."

        "You're welcome," Adam replied.

* * *

 

        A day or two later saw Derek and Adam practicing in another clearing.

        "I think I saw your claws flash that time," Adam said. "That's amazing progress compared to yesterday."

        "Not . . . enough," Derek huffed out through ragged breaths.

        "Are you kidding?" Adam asked with an incredulous stare. "It took me months to be able to do that, you're insanely advanced . . . I don't know if I should be jealous, or impressed with my own teaching skills." Derek scoffed a little and rolled his eyes.

        "I think we should call it good for the day," Adam continued. "Pushing too hard can have negative consequences, and you probably want to press on a little farther while it's still daylight right?"

        "Yeah," Derek agreed, and the two of them walked back to the camp spot to get the others. "What consequences?"

        "Try pushing too hard and you could accidentally force a change," Adam explained. "Forced changes from stress, and overexertion can be dangerous because it increases the risk of getting stuck."

        "Stuck," Derek shuddered. "Have you ever seen it happen?"

        "It's the worst thing that could happen to a werewolf I think," Adam replied. "Your body forgets which way it's turning, so it's basically trapped tearing itself apart. The pain is even worse than the first turn . . ." Derek stared at him as he trailed off, and after a moment Adam snapped back to earth and cleared his throat. "I imagine anyway."

* * *

 

        As they walked the rest of the day Adam seemed to keep to himself a little more than he had before. By the time the group stopped for the night his unusually quiet demeanor had everyone else feeling a bit awkward. Derek insisted, upon being asked repeatedly that he didn't think he'd done anything to upset him, and refused when Chloe suggested he speak to him.

        "It's none of our business," Derek said stubbornly. "Well should leave him alone. The two argued, and Tori surprisingly agreed with Derek.

        "We're literally just keeping him around so Derek can learn wolf-mojo, she chimed in. "Why should we have to deal with his sob-story?"

        "Don't call it that," Derek muttered darkly. Tori responded with an eye-roll which nearly launched the two of them into an entirely different argument before Chloe interrupted them both.

        "Well we should at least make sure it wasn't something we did," she countered. They continued like that for a few moments more until Simon with a sigh, and an eye-roll of his own went over to where Adam was sitting, effectively ending the argument entirely.

        "You would think that as a werewolf himself, he would know not to be so loud when discussing someone secretly," Adam commented without looking up when Simon was at his shoulder. Simon didn't say anything, just looked down at him, he wasn't even sure why he decided to just come over. They didn't know each other that well to begin with, and he didn't want to potentially pry into something personal. Even if he did kind of want to know more about him.

        "I'm alright," Adam said softly turning to look back at him.

        "Are you?" Simon heard himself ask, the two of them held gazes and Adam smiled gently.

        "Yeah," he answered. "Today's lesson just had me remembering some things I'd rather forget, I promise I'll go back to annoying your brother tomorrow."

        "You're almost as good at doing that as Tori is," Simon said with a grin.

        "I heard that!" Tori called from the fire. Adam watched them with a twinkle of amusement as they made faces at each other.

        "Irritating people is one of my many talents," he said as Simon rolled his eyes and sat down beside him. "Just ask my sister."

        There was a collective silence as the eavesdroppers sharpened their attention on the conversation, and if Derek had been in wolf form his ears probably would have visibly pricked at the sudden new information. Simon too looked at Adam with surprise.

        "You . . ." he started to say as he tried to wrap his head around this newest revelation. "You have a sister? I thought werewolves were only born male." Adam looked back at Simon suddenly startled, like he hadn't meant to mention that last bit.

        "Ah," he looked a little sheepish. "Heh, she will probably kill me if she finds out I've been talking about her."

        "It's a little late to take it back now," Simon said. "Since you already brought her up, you might as well continue, and I mean . . ." Simon looked back at the others who all tried to unconvincingly look like they weren't hanging on every word now. Adam followed Simon's gaze and let out a little laugh.

        "Right," he looked down at his hands. "Well, to answer the more pressing question that hasn't technically been asked . . . there are female werewolves, but if you were to ask the Syracuse Pack they would tell you that the only one in existence is their pack member Elena Michaels, and they would definitely kill me if they knew I was talking about her . . . so let's pretend I didn't just use her name." Adam paused in his explanation to rub his hands over his face.

        "It's not true of course," he said. "It's ridiculous how little they actually know about their own race for a group that's supposed to be policing our every move. Anyway, I couldn't tell you how many there are, aside from Michaels, I only know three others."

        "So . . ." Simon frowned. "Does that mean female werewolves can be born then?"

        "Normally no," Adam continued to explain. "You were right before, normally the werewolf gene is only passed father to son. So normally the only way for there to be a female werewolf would be for a woman to survive the bite. But let me ask you this, what happens if the bitten woman has children?"


End file.
